At an organizers meeting held on March 9th at a community church in Washington DC, over 30 volunteers, from different background, some native born, introduced themselves and stated why they were joining the Rally for immigration reform. “We need to get people out that day and send a clear message to the President and the U.S Congress that this time it will be different,” said organizer Ana Negoescu, Director of Education and Advocacy at CARECEN, one of the key partners organizing the rally.

The last mayor immigration overhaul happened in 1986 under President Ronald Reagan. The 1986 immigration reform, known as Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, made significant changes to U.S. immigration laws. It (1) legalized aliens who had resided in the United States in an unlawful status since January 1, 1982, (2) established sanctions prohibiting employers from hiring or recruiting workers not unauthorized to work in the United States, (3) created a new classification of temporary agricultural worker and provided for the legalization of certain such workers, and (4) established a visa waiver pilot program allowing the admission of certain nonimmigrants without visas. An estimated 2.7 million undocumented immigrants benefited from the Reform and Control Act of 1986.

On January 28, 2013, a bi-partisan group of eight Senators that include four Democrats: Chuck Schumer (NY), Dick Durbin (IL), Bob Menendez (NJ), Michael Bennet (CO), and four Republicans: John McCain (AZ), Lindsey Graham (SC), Marco Rubio (FL), and Jeff Flake (AZ), announced principles for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). This new proposal will include a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the U.S., it will focus on reducing current visa backlogs, and it will address university immigrant graduates with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or math, also known as the STEM fields, amongst other benefits. These provisions, combined with tougher border security and improved employment verification programs, will lead the conversation on immigration reform this time.

The other side argues that it is no surprise that the biggest opponents of immigration reform, and particularly any immigration reform that leads to citizenship, happen to be Republicans. At the 2013 CPAC annual meeting, a conservative conference held in Washington DC this year, a key speaker, Donald Trump, said that if given citizenship, every undocumented person will become a Democrat, and liken immigration reform that leads to citizenship, a “suicide mission” for Republicans. It is this fear of a shirking Republican Party that is driving many Congressional Republicans on immigration reform.

About Franklin Garcia

Franklin Garcia is the US Representative for the District of Columbia and former President of the DC Latino Caucus.
Cutting edge technology has been the career focus for Franklin. He holds various certifications in Information Technology, and is employed as a Senior Systems Administrator.
He holds an undergraduate degree in Finance from the George Washington University and a Master of Arts degree in Financial Economics for Public Policy from the American University. You can email Franklin at fgarcia@maestropc.com, or follow him on twitter @ fgarciadc.